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Copyright }I^_ 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



Little Stories in Verse 

As Unpretentious as the Wild Rose 



By 

CARRIE JACOBS-BOND 






Chicago 
Published by the Author 

184 Dearborn Street 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 
Two Copies Heceivea 

MAR IG 1905 

Copyrigni tntry 
CUiSS CC X\C. NOi 

/ f f V S-^y 

COPY B. 






Copyright by 

CARRIE JACOBS-BOND 

1905 



\ Chicago 

\ Marsh, Aiike?i 6" CKr/?\f Company 

'■' Printers 



Dedicated to 
AGNESS GREENE FOSTER 



CONTENTS 



An' I've Got Home 

The City Visitor 

Bearin' Burdens 

On the Mclntire Farm 

Buster Bond 

The Insurance Agent 

The City Reporter 

Talkin' 'Bout Trouble 

Sorrow and I 

Loyal 

Two Hard Days for Mother 

My Old Man's Heaven 

Three Homes 

My Little Girl 

Over Hills and Fields of Daisies 

That Smith Boy an' His Mother 

Mother's Three Ages of Man 

Friends 

The Path o' Life 

Her Neighbor's Boy 

The Woodman's Son 

His Gal's Graduatin' Day 

Talkin' About Little Things 

The Dog's Soliloquy 

When You're Sad 



Little Stories m Verse 

— ^^m 

Bn' Tvc Got 1bomc 

Been a-travelin' 'most a year, 
Been a powerful ways from here, 
Seen some sights I won't forget. 
Heard some sounds I'm hearin' yet, 
But now I'm home. 

Been to cities strange and new. 
Some I liked, but just a few ; 
Still there's none of 'em can be 
What this old farm is to me, 
'Cause it's my home. 

There's my axe beside the tree — 
Seems to sort o' beckon me ; 
Wonder if I've clean forgot 
How to sliver off a knot 
Since I left home? 

9 



10 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 

How I'm lovin' every sound ! 
Acorns droppin' on the ground 
Sounds like music to my ear, 
Kind o' singin' joy and cheer 
'Cause I've got home. 

Is there anything so good 
As bein' home — an' understood? 
Folks don't criticise your ways, 
Where they've known you all your days 
Right in your home. 

Wall, I'm thankin' God for this— 
I've been liked (enough to miss) 
In the place I love the best. 
An' I've just come back to rest 
An' stay at home. 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 11 



Xlbe Cit^ Visitor 

When she came to our town, a-visitin' her son, 
We didn't think she'd like it, or ever'd see the fun. 
We had a livin', quiet and countrified, you know, 
But say! she just enjoyed it, by gosh! She told me so. 

She said she liked the robins a-singin' thro' the breeze, 
She said she liked the squirrels, a-clim'in' in the trees, 
She said she liked the wood-pile, an' liked to see me chop. 
She said so much about that, I was 'most ashamed to stop. 

She said she loved the feathers an' the quiltin' on her bed. 
She said she liked Ma's fried-cakes an' her good, old- 
fashioned bread. 
An' then she said she liked us, an' I think she meant it, too, 
An' she said she hoped we'd miss her. Well, I guess, by 
gosh! we do. 



12 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



3Bearin' IfiSur^ens 

If you've got a burden, 

Bear it best yo' can. 
Don't you try to shove it 

On some other man. 

Jes' yo' keep a-goin', 

If the load am big. 
Ain't no folks that gets thar 

'Cept the ones that dig. 

Only ones you care 'bout 
Am the one that works — 

'Tain't the lazy fellow, 

'Tain't the one that shirks. 

'Tain't the one that never 
Gives no care to yo', 

It's the one that's always 
Findin' things to do ; 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 13 

Carries all his burdens 

An' a few for you; 
Always 'round when needed, 

Always sees you through. 

He's the one that alius 

Smiles if they are sad, 
He's the one that cheers yo' 

When you're feelin' bad. 

He's the one that tells you, 

"Don't yo' grieve an' sigh. 
There's a heap o' heaven 

For yo' by and by." 

Where'd he get his wisdom? 

Just a-carryin' loads — 
Just forever walkin' 

Over rocky roads — 

Just a-bearin' burdens 

That he knowed was his — 
Just forever tendin' 

Strictly to his "biz." 



14 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



©n tbe /IDcflntire jfarm 

If you want a place to rest you 

Far away from care and fret, 
And you've looked around a good deal, 

But you haven't found it yet, 
I can tell you where it's thrivin' — 

Far away and free from harm — 
It's the best place in creation — 

It's on Mclntire's farm. 

There the sunshine shines the brightest, 

There the days are calm and free. 
But o' course there's lots a-doin' — 

Keeps you busy as a bee, 
Keeps you workin' all the day long 

And until the sun is set ; 
Why, I've seen a few a-workin' 

After that had quit, you bet. 

But the happiest folks I know of — 
Purest thoughts and sweetest lives — 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 15 

Are the ones raised in the country, 

Where the wild flower grows and thrives ; 

And among the very dearest, 
Full of love and gentle charm. 

Are the ones you'll find a-livin' 
On the Mclntire farm. 



16 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



Buster Bo\\t> 

I'm goin' to tell you 'bout my friend, 

The best you ever knew. 
He always treats me just the same, 

No matter what I do. 
He's always glad to see me, 

An' he shows it in his face. 
An' I can count on him, you bet, 

Just any time an' place. 

Now, some folks might object, 

Because his shade is rather black, 
Because his nose turns up a bit, 

An's kinder out o' whack. 
But, say! his eyes are wonders. 

Just as plumb, an' clear, an' true. 
An' you'd know he was a good friend 

By the look he'd give to you. 

Ain't no ancestors to brag of— 
(Might as well be on the shelf 

As to have a lot behind you 
If you ain't no good yourself. 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 17 



The only thing that counts here 
Is the heart you've got within, 

An' your ancestors can't help you 
When your heart is filled with sin.) 

He's been my friend for near ten years, 
An' he's never left me yet, 

An' I kinder think I'm his'n— 
We can count as one, you bet. 

An' he can have a share of 
Everything I've got on earth, 

An' still this friend is just a dog- 
Folks wonder what he's worth. 

Of course they never ask me. 

For they know my price is high. 
But this dog ain't on the market, 

Not for any one to buy ; 
He's the last thing that I'd part with— 

Is this Buster Dog, all black. 
If his nose is kinder turned up 

An' a little out o' whack. 



18 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



TLbc Unsurance UQcnt 

There's the life insurance agent, 

Oh, the life insurance man — 
Do you think you can escape him? 

Better try it if you can, 
Fer if once he gets a-talkin' 

Might as well give in, you bet ; 
Fer you never can escape him 

Once on you his heart is set — ■ 
You git insured! 

First, he tells you 'bout the money 

You can save by signin' NOW — 
How in twenty years, the "Endowment" 

Takes the wrinkles off your brow ; 
By a-payin' jest four dollars 

Every month for twenty years 
You'll have saved 'bout fourteen hundred, 

'Nough to wipe out all your fears. 
And you're insured! 

If you let the good chance slip you. 
Like as not you'll rue the day 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 19 



That you didn't take insurance 

When the man was 'round your way, 

Fer he's mighty independent, 
And he doesn't care a snap 

If the lightning comes and strikes you. 
And you're wiped clean off the map- 
And ain't insured ! 

But, without a bit of foolin'. 

Life insurance's pretty slick ; 
Twenty years jest goes a-scootin'. 

Saved a pile o' money quick. 
When you're DEAD you needn't WORRY, 

You've left something to your wife — 
Left insurance worth FOUR THOUSAND ; 

There's your "money — on your life." 
You was insured ! 



20 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



Ube dit^ IReportcr 

He was one o' them bright city fellers — 

As slim an' as slick as a pin. 
He was what they call "city reporter," 

An' had to be smarter 'n sin. 

He had to know everything goin' 

An' write an' then hand it in. 
His duties were keepin' him hustlin' 

And hustlin' was keepin' him thin. 

But by and by vacation got him ; 

An' he had a fev/ weeks that was his, 
So he dropped all the thoughts of the city 

An' forgot everything that was biz. 

He hustled himself to the country. 
To a farm home six miles from town, 

For a rest that would give him a good chance 
To do his vacation up brown. 

"Well, say, now ! he wasn't there no time 
'Fore the birds made up songs for his sake, 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 21 

An' they practiced them tunes by his window 
Each mornin' to get him awake. 

They knew that he liked 'em, yo' bet yo' — 
You can't fool the birds, not a bit — 

An' that dandy young city reporter 
With them birds was makin' a hit. 

Well, I ain't goin' to tell you much more now, 
Only this : that the fields an' the brook 

An' the lambs, an' the dogs an' the horses 
Have all got a lonesome-like look — 

For the city reporter has left them, 
An' everything's different here now. 

The whole farm is lookin' down-hearted, 
We can't seem to cheer it nohow. 

Ain't it funny — that some folks you can't miss 
An' some folks you jus' miss a pile? 

An' the folks that you can't miss you see lots, 
An' them other folks once in a while. 



22 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



XTalf^in' 'JSout Urouble 

"This world's so full o' trouble," 

I hear so many say, 
An' I wonder if it really is. 

Or only seems that way. 
An- I wonder if the folks who find 

This world so very bad. 
Are lookin' with their smiiin' eyes, 

Or eyes jes' lookin' sad. 

I wonder if they're lookin' out 

To see what they can do 
By thinkin' — not about themselves — 

But thinkin' some 'bout you ; 
An' I wonder if they ever tried 

To git braced up with this — 
A-lookin' 'round to see how much 

Of troubles they could miss? 

An' have you ever thought about 

The greatness of a smile? 
Wall, if you've not, it might be well 

To try it for a while, 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 23 

Because a smile will do you good 

No matter where you go, 
For frowns are mighty common things, 

(An' we all know that's so!) 

But say, can anybody tell 

Why smiles should come so high, 
An' frowns should be such common things, 

Beneath the selfsame sky? 
If folks could only know how much 

They lose by lookin' sad. 
They'd all cheer up an' spend their time 

A-tryin' to look glad. 

For every time you hide a sigh 

Behind a smilin' face. 
You've took a burden from your soul, 

An' give the Lord a place. 
An' He's the one who loves to see 

His children lookin' gay. 
An' bein' happy in His grace, 

An' makin' good His way. 

An' if you think you've had too much, 
An' things ain't even now, 



24 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 

Maybe you'll find out by and by 
The "wherefor an' the how." 

An' I believe, before you die, 
You'll see 'twas for the best. 

An' that instead o' bein' wronged 
That mostly you've been blest ; 

An' that your troubles made you big 

An' char't'ble an' strong. 
An' 'stead of bein' setbacks 

They've helped you git along; 
An' if you hadn't had 'em 

You could never understood ; 
An' now I ask you, my good friends, 

Do you really think you could? 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 25 



Sorrow an& II 

Sorrow and I are firm old friends, 

For we've been through storms together, 

But we found that the storms make truer friends 
Than the pleasantest sunny weather, 

I found, when the first great grief had past, 
And the clouds were getting brighter, 

That Sorrow had only made me see 
That my new-found loads were lighter, 

And that, if I carried my burden well. 

My grief was my greatest blessing ; 
And a smiling face and a cheery voice 

Were remedies worth possessing. 

So Sorrow and I have just joined hands. 

And v/e're climbing the hill together ; 
If the stones are rough and our feet grow tired, 

We are used to the stormy weather. 



26 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



Say! She was a pretty woman, 

Kind o' stout an' kind o' fair ; 
Eyes were blue an' mouth was tender, 

Forehead high, with wavin' hair. 
An' the children? Wall — (God bless 'em) 

They was beauties, every one. 
With big brown eyes an' cheeks a-glowin', 

Kissed by wind an' tanned by sun. 
But when you had looked at Mother 

(When she didn't see you near) 
You could kind o' see a sadness. 

Kind o' see a hidden tear ; 
But she didn't do much talkin', 

Kept on knittin' every day, 
Kept her hands most awf ly busy, 

Makin' b'lieve that life was play, 
Makin' b'lieve God's Kindergarten 

Still was keepin' her a child ; 
But the joy was gone — by jingo! 

When she laughed and when she smiled. 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



Wall — by an' by when I had known her 

Well enough to speak right out, 
I just asked her if she'd tell me 

What the trouble was about ; 
An' she gave me just another 

Of them tearful, tender looks, 
One of them you don't see often — 

Just like them you find in books ; 
But I've been a kind o' comfort 

In my life a time or two. 
So I said again, "Now tell me — 

Ain't there somethin' I can do?" 
Then she answer'd (she'd been lookin' 

Down the road 'bout twenty years), 
But before I knew what happened 

She was just a-sheddin' tears — 
Cryin' like she never could quit ; 

Tears was comin' from the heart, 
But the words was comin' also. 

What I'd said had made 'em start. 
An' the story that she told me — 

(Say, nov7 — don't you smile at this) 
Was the man that v/as her husband 

Thought no longer that a kiss 
Was a thing a woman needed 



28 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 

After twenty years a v/ife, 
An' to tell her that he loved her! — 

'Bout the slowest thing in life — 
Ought to know that an' remember, 

Just remember — don't you know, 
'Cause he told her once he loved her, 

If it was some years ago. 
Now, there's me an' my old woman. 

An' we've marched on forty years, 
An' we've alv/ays marched together. 

An' we've shared our smiles an' tears ; 
An' I tell her that I love her. 

Two — three times a day, I guess, 
An' I ask her if she loves me. 

An' she always answers — "Yes." 
Maybe this is all blame nonsense. 

But it doesn't cost a cent. 
An' we've kept the nonsense v/ith us. 

Always took it v/here we went. 
An' the folks that come to see us 

Always say they're glad they came. 
An' it makes us sort o' happy 

That they find us "just the same." 
An' the reason iLdt it is so — 

Only reason I can tell — 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 29 

Is I love my good old woman 

An' I love her mighty well, 
An' I ain't ashamed to tell it 

Any time nor any place, 
An' the answer that I look for 

I can find — in her old face. 
Maybe that face is wrinkled ; 

If it is — wall, I can't see. 
All I ever care to know is 

She's been stanch and true to me. 



30 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



Uwo IbarD Wa^s for /iDotber 

"There's just two days that I don't like," 

Said Mother Bates to me — 
"The Circus Day and July Fourth, 

They're hard as they can be ; 
But when they both come in one week, 

It's just a cryin' sin 
To watch the four boys that I've got. 

An' try to keep 'em in. 

"Now, I don't mean all day, you know. 

But long enough for me 
To get 'em lookin' nice an' clean 

An' fit for folks to see, 
An' long enough for me to say, 

'Now, boys, don't you forget 
(Not even if you haven't seen 

The entire Circus yet), 

" 'Come home, for dinner'll taste good 

An' you can go again 
An' see the rest this afternoon — 

That Circus'll remain.' 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 31 



But do you think I see a boy 

Until the sun is set? 
No, not a boy, from Bob to Jim, 

They're 'round that Circus yet. 

"But if the Circus ended there 

I wouldn't care so much ; 
The Circus now has just begun — 

I get the final touch ; 
For every strap that's in our barn 

An' every bit of clothes 
That's got a button made of brass 

Out in the wood-shed goes. 

''An' we've a Circus here at home 

About a week or two, 
Until my old head nearly busts 

An' somethin' comes that's new. 
This year the Circus didn't last. 

The Fourth come in next day. 
An' I just thought them boys would die 

A-workin' hard that way. 

"At four o'clock they all got up 

An' each one fired the gun, 
An' every livin' thing, I guess, 



32 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 

Around that farmyard run 
'Cept Pa and me — we'd clean forgot 

That July Fourth was near — 
So, night before, we went to bed 

Without a doubt or fear. 



"A-thinkin' what a blessin' that 

The Circus come and went 
Without a broken arm or two. 

An' we was plumb content. 
When, goodness me ! that gun was fired, 

An' I thought, 'One day more ! 
Will all my boys be here to-night, 

Or on that other shore? 



" *0r will they turn from white to black 

By blowin' in the gun? 
Or find that one eye is enough 

To see the July fun? 
Or just find out one hand will do 

For helpin' on the farm?' 
Well — all day long I prayed the Lord 

To keep them boys from harm. 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 33 

"But by an' by — the end it came, 

An' Bob was carried in, 
His shirt-sleeve blown to smithereens, 

A bullet in his chin. 
But Doctor said, 'Oh, he's all right ; 

For sure we'll pull him thru.' 
An', mother-like, I kissed that boy, 

As mothers always do, 

"An' I forgive him everything 

He'd done since he was born, 
An' hurried up to make him feel 

He wasn't as forlorn 
As though he'd blowed his head clean off— 

(That's what I thought he'd do) 
But honest, how I loved that boy ! 

Just loved him thru and thru. 

"Them other three came walkin' in 

Just like a funeral band. 
An' all their faces pale as death 

An' tremblin' every hand ; 
An' all o' 'em they looked at me 

Thru tears a-fallin' fast — 
Till finally I had to say, 

'Thank God, this Fourth is past!' " 



34 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



/ID^ ®l& /IDan's Ibeaven 

I*ve tried to live an honest life, 

Have helped a friend or two, 
An' never shirked my duties, 

If the jobs were small or few. 
An' I guess I've been a-walkin' 

In the narrow path all right, 
'Cause I've seen a heap more daytime 

Than I ever seen o' night. 

Now, some folks call the narrow path 

A hard one here on earth, 
But me an' Mary alius found 

The path was filled with mirth. 
Fer ain't we had the children 

A-cheerin' all the time? 
An' ain't they kept us hustlin' 

A-keepin' 'em in line? 

An' why should I be sighin* 
Fer a different kind o' life. 

When I've got my thirteen children , 
An' my Mary Ann fer wife? 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 35 



I guess, by jingo, if I do 

The very best I can, 
I'll find some heaven here on earth 

Along with Mary Ann. 

If Mary Ann was singing 

On th' everlastin' shore, 
S'pose I'd give up lookin' pleasant, 

An' I wouldn't sing no more. 
But as long as Mary's livin' 

An' the children all are here, 
I'll keep my old face smilin', 

So's to scare away the tear. 



36 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



Ubvcc Ibomes 

I know a home where "Vice" is king, 

A home where trouble and care 'twill bring, 

Where mother tries to comfort and cheer 

The unhappy children who gather here ; 

Where the lullaby is sung with sobs, 

Which come from the heart that with sorrow throbs. 

And all that is wicked, and dark, and drear. 

Is gathered up and brought in here 

And left — when the king of vice goes out — 

To be thought of and worried and grieved about; 

For this is the home where rum is king. 

Then I know a home where "Love" is king. 

Where thoughts of happiness bud and spring, 

Where the children smile at the father's call 

And long to see him, one and all ; 

And the mother sings, with a happy sigh. 

The babe to sleep with her lullaby. 

And this home is a safeguard from care and strife, 

A place where they look for the best thoughts of life, 

For this is the home where love is king. 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 37 

And again there's a home where God is king, 

A home where our joys and sorrows we bring, 

A home where the Angels to us will sing 

A lullaby, which will soothe each sting. 

Which takes away sorrow, and pain, and strife. 

And ushers us into an eternal life, 

A life where our pathway is strewn with flowers, 

A life which God says shall be always ours, 

A life where no tears for loved ones flow. 

For this is a heaven not known below. 

And pure little children we all would bring 

To this "sweet home" where God is king. 



38 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



/ID^ Xittlc (Biii 

I've only had my little girl five years, 

And yet I never lived until she came ; 
She brought me only smiles (there were no tears), 

And though it storms, my sun shines just the same, 
And life has been a different thought to me, 

Since these dear hands have been my own to hold. 
And now the glories of this world I see. 

And yet this child is only five years old. 

She tells me how the robin builds its nest. 

She has been watching every day — so long. 
And how the robin that she likes the best 

Is always near to help and cheer with song. 
And by and by she says the house is made. 

And then the robins just go there to stay; 
And by and by some little eggs are laid — 

And there she found some little birds one day. 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 39 

And all the time life seems to me more fair — 

I pause to see the dewdrops on the grass, 
And things to which I never gave a care 

Seem now to rise and call me as I pass. 
For beauty lives in everything that grows, 

Since these dear lips have given me a name. 
And she? Ah, she is sweeter than the rose. 

And I have lost my burdens since she came. 



40 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



®v>cr Ibills an& J'ielDs of Daisies 

Over hills and fields of daisies 

Once I wandered light of heart, 
Now I'm dreaming you are with me, 

We together — ne'er to part. 
You are saying, "Oh, I love you. 

Love like mine will e'er be true." 
Over hills and fields of daisies 

You are saying, "I love you." 

"I love you," the daisy tells me, 

As the petals fall apart. 
And at last I hold the yellow 

Of the gold within its heart ; 
Even though the flower is severed 

Those white petals are its own. 
And that heart of gold is waiting 

For the petals it has known. 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 41 

Now the hills and all the daisies 

Lie beneath the silent snow, 
Still I'm dreaming of you, dearest, 

And I wonder if you know 
That your form is still beside me. 

That your voice rings in my ear 
Over hills and fields of daisies 

Till it seems that you are here. 



42 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



ITbat Smitb Bo^s an' Ibis /iDotber 

Them two was always chums, you know, 

That Smith boy an' his mother. 
An' he jes' thought the world of her, 

An' said, "There ain't another 
In all the land like her to me, 

Fer she's the one that understands 
An' knows me as I be, 

'Cause she's my mother." 

Them two was always friends, you know. 

That Smith boy an' his mother. 
And she was always helpin' him. 

In one way an' another. 
An' she was always tellin' him, 

"I'll be your truest friend, 
I'll Stan' forever by your side, 

An' Stan' there till the end, 
Fer I'm your mother." 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 43 

Them two can never part, you know, 

That Smith boy an' his mother, 
Far even when the time shall come 

Fer that last peaceful rest, 
That mother-love will stick to him, 

An' live within his breast. 
An' he will always think o' her, 

When life seems hard to bear. 
An' think o' all the joys they had 

An' things they used to share. 
An' course it's kind o' hard to have 

A lot o' tears to smother. 
But it's easier to look up there 

When there's your mother. 



44 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



/IDotber's TLbxcc Hoes of /IDan 

Oh, Time has taken my baby away, 

My baby I loved so well. 
And the lullaby song he has taken along, 

And the reason he will not tell. 
But Time said, "Do not grieve. 
For I'm going to leave 

In the cradle where he has slept, 
A memory deep of a baby asleep 

Since away from your arms he has crept." 

Oh, Time has taken my boy away. 

My boy that I loved so well, 
And the march for fun with the little gun, 

And the tales that he used to tell. 
But Time said, "Do not grieve. 
For I'm going to leave 

A man who will care for you. 
With a big strong arm that can shield from harm. 

And a heart that is brave and true." 



I LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 45 

Now a girl has taken my man away, 

My man that I loved so well. 
And that big strong arm that could shield from harm 

Just belongs to a girl named Nell. 
And I'm growing old, 
And the world's growing cold, 

But, of course, as he is a man, 
He will have to go (oh, it's better so), 

And I'll do the best that I can. 



46 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



3frienC>s 

When God made up this world of ours, 

He made it long and wide, 
And meant that it should shelter all, 

And none should be denied. 
But, somehow, lots of folks got in, 

Who didn't like the plan. 
And ever since, they've tried their best 

To push off every man 
Who didn't do the way they said. 

And if the man was poor. 
He had to hustle right and left 

And hustle hard for sure. 

Now, "poverty is no disgrace," 

How oft we hear that said i 
But honestly (now this 's the truth). 

You might as well be dead 
As ask some folks to help you on 

If they have got the start. 
For some of 'em they run to head. 

And just forget the heart 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 47 

When everything comes on their way 

And their sun's shinin' bright. 
There's only just a few of 'em 

That see us in the night. 

And shadows swallow us so quick 

And put us out of sight, 
That it's like fightin' with a dream, 

Or makin' wrong seem right, 
To ever get the help you need 

Unless you're big and strong. 
But make a fight, you gentle one, 

And think of me awhile. 
I'm looking on, and prayin', too, 

And hopin' with a smile, 
For I believe there are a few 

"Who help just all they can. 
Who know the good, and know the bad. 

And see the honest man. 

No matter if his clothes are rags, 

You read him like a book ; 
An' you don't ask him, "Where've you worked?" 

You just give him a look, 



48 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 

And then you take him by the hand 

And say, "Now, here's a start; 
You do your best, I'll trust you, sure." 

You've reached that feller's heart, 
And he will always stand by you 

And be your "friend indeed," 
(And you can be right sure of this), 

Also, your "friend in need." 
And maybe, when adversity 

Has caught you in its grasp, 
You'll feel the hand you held one time — 

It'll return the clasp 
You gave it, when it needed help. 

And it will hold you back. 
And give you just the strength you need 

And just the pluck you lack. 

And by and by the friend you made. 

By judging from his heart — 
Instead of judging from his clothes, 

(The man you gave a start), 
You'll find in him companion, friend. 

And everything you need, 
That's what you almost always get 

For every honest deed. 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 49 



Zbc ipatb 0' Xife 

I have a little tale to tell 

(And hope 'twill do some good). 
It's 'bout a couple of young folks 

A-walkin' through a wood. 
They started off 'bout noon time, 

Some fifteen years ago, 
To journey down the "Path o' Life," 

Just how, they didn't know. 

About the time these two set off 

Another pair set out ; 
The same church-door they left behind. 

Their hearts all strong and stout. 
They all walked down the "Path o' Life," 

And then 'twas clear and bright. 
And looked as though for miles to come 

'Twould all be straight and right. 

Of course this weddin' day (I guess) 

Was near the first o' June, 
The time o' day — again I say — 

Came pretty nigh to noon. 



50 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 

And if you take life in its Spring 

And just about midway, 
This world is bound to look real good 

And things look bright and gay. 

That's just the time for weddin's, when 

The birds are singin' sweet, 
And violets are comin' up 

To kiss the fern leaf's feet — 
But, 'nough about the weather 

And the flowers a-bloomin' gay, 
I must tell you 'bout my couples 

Startin' off this weddin' day. 

That "Path o' Life" looked pretty smooth 

About a year or two. 
And then the weeds began to come 

Where once the sweet flowers grew. 
One pair o' them walked hand in hand 

Altho' the path grew rough; 
He helped her over all the stones 

And she called love enough. 

The other two? Well, I must tell, 
Their hands loosed on the way, 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 51 

And their paths widened as they walked 

And clouds came every day, 
And all because they didn't know 

That burdens shared by two 
Will always lighten fully half 

If hearts are strong and true. 

And so my couples wandered on — 

On down the "Path o' Life" ; 
One pair caught all the sunshine, 

God called them "man and wife." 
My other pair are lost to sight, 

Their forms no more I see, 
Lost somewhere on the "Path o' Life," 

For they could not agree. 

When stones were rough, she would complain 

And, answerin', he would say, 
"Just come along, now, Mary Ann, 

You helped to make the day 
When we this journey undertook; 

I've done the best I could; 
Come, hurry up and catch me now. 

It's dark here in this wood." 



52 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 

And so she wanders on alone ; 

(He thinks he's bein' kind) ; 
But by and by he finds, alas ! 

That Mary's far behind. 
And then he wonders where she is, 

And what she's doin' now ; 
And as he thinks how they have walked, 

A frown comes on his brow. 

And then he wonders how it is 

This world for him is cold, 
And lightnin'-like a thought comes in — 

Why, he is growin' old ; 
And that smooth path he once called "life" 

All full o' briers has grown, 
And that companion he called "wife" 

Is lost, and he's alone. 

I guess a moral is a thing 

That you don't need just now. 

But I would like to say a word 
To smooth each wrinkled brow. 

Just grasp the hand that's in your path — 
Sometimes the path is long — 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 53 

And life is sweeter when you have 

Companions, with a song. 
Kind words smooth all the "Paths o' Life" 

And smiles make burdens light, 
And uncomplainin' friends can make 

A daytime out o' night. 



54 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



Iber IFleiGbbor's Bo^ 

One time when Mother Green had come 

To stay a spell with us, 
If I had been a cussin' man, 

I guess I'd had to cuss. 
To hear the way folks have to talk 

About their neighbor's child. 
I vow if I had been a pa 

Them folks would drove me wild. 

Wall, this is Mother Green's own yarn, 

(She told it plumb and true — ) 
That Mrs. Brown, who lived next door, 

Had said to Mrs. Prue, 
"She wished that Mrs. Green would keep 

Her boy home just one day ; 
That Tommy never had no time 

To skip an' run an' play, 

"Without that Green boy taggin' on 

An' actin' up like sin. 
An' she had had about enough 

Of callin' Tommy in 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 55 

An' tellin' him he'd have to stop 

A-squintin' up his nose, 
An' shoutin' like an Indian, 

An' tearin' all his clothes; 

"An' just to keep the manners of 

That Green boy out of sight. 
An' that it took just all her strength 

To get dear Tommy right, 
When he had played a little while 

With that boy, Johnny Green." . . . 



I wish she had the eyes to see 
What my old eyes have seen, 

For goodness knows, if John was near 

As bad as Tommy Brown, 
I'd sell my house and move away, 

I'd never live in town, 
I'd go out in the woods to live, 

An' let the fresh air blow 
A little while on Tommy Brown. 

An' then I'd let him know 



56 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 

He wasn't just the only boy 

That ever had been born — 
I'd tell him he'd live in them woods 

Till Gabriel blowed his horn 
Unless he changed his awful ways, 

An' got to actin' right, 
An' had some manners different 

Than the ones he kept in sight. 



So every mother thinks her boy's 

The best you ever knew. 
And that there ain't another boy 

(Or only just a few) — 
Like Tommy Brown, or Johnny Green, 

Or any mother's boy. 
But it's we who haven't got none 

Who know the honest joy 

That's got by simply lookin' on 

An' seein' all the fun. 
An' hearin' how the neighbors talk 

About their neighbor's son. 
But by an' by, when time has made 

Them boys up into men, 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 57 

The whole blamed thing will be forgot, 
An' all forgiven then ; 

An' things that used to seem so bad 

Will laugh us into tears, 
An' make us wish that we could go 

'Way back a dozen years, 
An' see them boys a-actin' up 

As if they'd just gone mad — 
We'd give a lot to see once more 

Them bad boys actin' bad. 



58 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



TIbe MooDman's Son 

Yes, I made my money loggin', 

I began it when a boy. 
From the birds I took my music, 

From the brooks I took my joy. 
From the pines I got the perfume 

Of a life lived pure an' free, 
An' them sturdy oaks gave whispers 

Of a strong, hard life fer me. 

But I knew that I'd be happier, 

Jes' to live there in the wood, 
Than to go out in that other world, 

An' know it, if I could. 
So I looked around the forest, 

An' a woman there I found 
Who looked at things as I did. 

From the tree top to the ground. 

An' we started out together 
In a log house in the wood, 

An' we lived a happy life there, 
But of course we knew we could. 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 59 

Then by an' by the baby came, 

A sturdy, robust son. 
An' fourteen years we kept him 

Livin' with us jes' fer fun. 

But the folks that used to come in 

On our quiet, peaceful life 
Did a heap o' talkin' to me, — 

Finai'y tackled my old wife — 
An' tole us we was doin' him 

A willful, sinful wrong. 
That he ought to go to college. 

That we ought to help him 'long, 

'Stead o' keepin' him a-livin' 

In the backwoods all his life. 
That he ought to have advantages 

To fit him fer the strife 
That has to come to every man 

Who lives three score and ten. 
An' so my wife an' I give in. 

An' said "Good-by," an' then — 

Five years he spent at college 
In a city full of life. 



60 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 

When he came home to visit, 

He wa'n't known to me nor wife, 

But he wa'n't one bit proud Hke ; 
Loved his mother an' loved me. 

But the things that boy had learnt about 
Was shockin' like to see — 

Told me he was winnin' everything 

He ever tried to win, 
From a card game to a horse-race ! 

Looked to me like winnin' sin. 
In the woods I learnt a few things, 

An' I called some pretty bad. 
But I hadn't learnt a circumstance 

To that 'ere handsome lad. 

He knew everything a-goin' 

'Bout the world of luck an' sin, 
'Cause he'd seen things from the outside 

(Ma an' me had been shut in). 
Wall, the thing that really hurt me was, 

I couldn't turn him back 
An' start him over once again 

Along his pa's rough track — 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 61 

An' had him learnt jes' nature 

An' the things my old eye sees, 
An' kept him livin' with the birds, 

An' brooks, an' flowers, an' trees. 
An' then we all could understood. 

But, as it is, you know — 
Ma an' me lives in the woods, — 

An' the boy — he had to go ! 



62 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



Ibis Oars araMiatin* H)a^ 

Maybe their hearts did whirl a bit, 
'Specially the heart of my gal Kit. 
She sot on the rostrum with all the rest, 
And I'll be dum'd, she looked the best, 
Tho' the things she wore was simple, too — 
Jest a muslin frock with a ribbon blue, 
Yet she was the sweetest of all the crowd, 
And my old heart was thumpin' proud 
When the President rose up plain to see 
And "Kit Gray's a-goin' to talk," says he. 

Wall, say, did that gal know her piece? 

The words just came as smooth as grease, 

So easy-like she told her part 

'Bout "Helen Gould with the golden heart." 

I vow I never heard such talk. 

That gal knows how to "go" — no "balk" 

In her — she's always sure and true. 

An' are there many? There's a few 

Like Kit — that blessed gal o' mine — 

Say! she's just right 'bout every time. 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 63 

Wall, just before them doin's started 
She said her head and heart had parted — 
She knew she never'd speak her piece — 
She knew her heart was going to cease — 
But if her heart kept goin' good 
She'd have to swaller, yes, she would. 
And swallerin' would spile her readin'. 
Then says I, "Just pay no heedin' ; 
But keep a good stiff upper lip ; 
Them words'll come without a slip." 

Say, was you there to see the show, 

Them gals and boys all in a row? 

Wall, I'll be dum'd, but they looked fine— 

(An' 'specially that gal o' mine). 

You ain't a father, are you, Neal? 

So you don't know just how I feel ; 

But "sweetened lightnin' " ran through me ; 

I was the proudest man to be 

A-sittin' there and know my Kit 

Was doin' fine, not sca't a bit. 

The shov/ is done, and I am here, 
A-wipin' off a fallin' tear. 



64- LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 

Ain't cryin' 'cause I'm feelin' bad, 
Just cryin' 'cause I am so glad 
I've got a gal like that 'ar "Kit," 
Who knows so much she had to quit 
A-goin' to the public school. 
She's learned for sure the golden rule ; 
And does she live it? Now, you bet! 
That gal's all right, don't you forget. 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 65 



xraimn' Bbout Xtttle ZbiwQS 

You say I see the little things — 

"Well, yes, I guess I do. 
For big things seldom come along 

To folks like me, that's true, 
And little things are all I have 

To come and help me through 
This world o' tryin' to get on 

With comforts small and few. 

But talkin' 'bout the little things, — 

Now, there's a baby's smile — 
Do you suppose a millionaire 

Could have that for a while, 
And love it and forget it 

In the hum and buzz o' style, 
And ever feel the same again 

Without that baby's smile? 

Still talkin' 'bout the little things, 
Now, there's a baby's tear — 

Who ever saw the quiverin' lid, 
With baby pain or fear, 



66 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 

Give out its little message 

And not feel their hearts go near 

To comfort and caress it, 
And to wipe away the tear? 

The very smallest o' small things 

Amounts to lots in life, 
And folks could find a heap o' help 

To carry 'em through strife, 
If they would only look along 

Just where they're walkin' now, 
Instead o' lookin' 'way ahead, 

An' furrowin' their brow — 

'Cause what you look for 'way ahead, 

Sometimes you never find ; 
It's only what you've got in sight 

Or what you've left behind. 
That ever does you any good ; 

(By livin' I know this) 
But seein' small things as you go 

You very little miss. 

Take anything that you can't buy 
And try it for a while ; 



.07 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 67 



Course, what you get for nothin' 
Don't seem worth a tear or smile ; 

By an' by you will be seein' 
A somethin' come along 

That just grew out o' nothin* 
An' grew mighty big and strong. 

Now, here'm I moralizin' 

By beginnin' with a smile — 
An' talkin' 'bout a baby. 

Precious little for a while. 
But you know that baby's growin* 

An' he soon'll be a man, 
And you know it's truth I'm tellin', 

Look and find it — 'cause you can. 



68 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



Ube WoQ'5 SolilOQU^ 

Once I was dear Katherine's playmate 

All her time she spent with me ; 
When a cat came near my Katherine 

She'd say, "Scat 'em up a tree." 
But that little Katherine Swisher 

Changed her mind one summer's day; 
Now she holds that selfsame kitten — 

I'm the one she "scats" away. 

My! but that cat likes to chase me, 

Rather scratch poor me than eat. 
Jumps upon my back and claws me. 

Feels as tho' she had ten feet. 
And does Katherine Swisher scold her? 

No; she says, "Now, Kittie dear. 
Don't you know that dog would kill you 

If your mistress wasn't near?" 

And she's teaching that cat poems. 
Reads them from her little books. 



LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 69 

Deceitful cat pretends to listen, 

Fools poor Katherine with her looks. 

Tells me I am educated 

When she sees me feeling bad. 

I could eat that cat with pleasure, 
That cat makes me dreadful mad. 

"Lucky dog," that's what they called me, 

'Twas before cats came my way. 
Long before I learned the adage — 

"Every dog will have his day." 
Education's spoiled my pleasure ; 

I would rather heathen be. 
Than to see that cat a-reading. 

When she should be up a tree. 



70 LITTLE STORIES IN VERSE 



When you are sad and lonely, 

Do you wish that I were near? 
When the world seems cold and dreary, 

Would my voice give you cheer? 
When the tempest beats upon the craft 

You call your heart, 
Would you smile to see me, dear. 

And sigh, when we should part? 




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